assault_assaultpoint
assault_assaultpoint
is a point entity available in all Source games.
These entities form the body of an assault chain, specifying where the assault should go once it has begun. There can be any number of them in each chain. Make sure you are using ai nodes, otherwise you will have to have an assaultpoint for every single corner in your path.
Bug:Specifying an
assault_rallypoint
as the next assault point will crash the game!Bug:When moving to an assault point partway through a chain, the NPC will go to the standing posture for a moment before continuing. This bug is fixed in the HL2 Episodes.
Note:Unfortunately, there's no keyvalue to define a range at which an assaultpoint can be considered cleared. This means that if you have a large group of NPCs in an assault, the fact that they will continually attempt to move directly onto an assaultpoint, even if another NPC is standing there, can also break the illusion of realistic movement. Try making a trigger around your assaultpoint (
once
or multiple
) that sends your assaultpoint a SetForceClear
input with a fair delay time to make sure everyone is still grouped together.Note:Assault points only affect the journey to them, not from them.
Note:NPCs will always turn to face in the direction the entity is set to when arriving at an assault point if they don't see an enemy before reaching the point. You can change the direction, indicated by a small yellow line, by changing the middle number of the Pitch Yaw Roll keyvalue.
Tip:Naming assault points the same name will cause NPCs to randomly select one.
Contents
Flags
- 1: Clear this point upon arrival, UNCONDITIONALLY
- Move on to the next point once reaching this one, regardless of any other influences.
Keyvalues
- Assault Hint Group (assaultgroup) <string>
- Constrain the movement of the NPC(s) participating in the assault to this hint group once assault has begun.
- Next assault point (optional) (nextassaultpoint) <targetname>
- The
assault_assaultpoint
to move to next.
- Assault time out (assaulttimeout) <float>
- This point is cleared when no enemies are seen for this long (specified in seconds). The NPC(s) at this assault point will scout for enemies this long before moving on.
- Clear on contact with enemies (clearoncontact) <boolean>
- If the assaulting NPC meets enemies on its way to this point, it will consider the assault point cleared and target the next assault point in the chain.
- Allow diversion (allowdiversion) <boolean>
- If the assault comes into contact with hostiles on the way to this assault point, divert to kill them and resume once the area appears clear.
- If it set to Yes, NPCs will chase any hostiles until they are dead or out of sight for the period set in the Assault time out.
- If this is set to No, assaulting NPCs will run non-stop to the next point, attacking enemies they can see but not chasing them.
- Diversion Proximity (allowdiversionradius) <float>
- If Allow diversion is set to Yes, NPC will only divert from assault to attack an enemy that is within this distance of the assault point. 0 means no limit.
- Never Timeout (nevertimeout) <boolean>
- If set, the assault never ends for NPCs assaulting this point. Useful for forcing NPCs back to a point.
- Strict? (strict) <boolean>
- If set, NPCs may not move to attack, avoid danger, or move out of the player's way.
- Force Crouch (forcecrouch) <boolean>
- NPCs using this assault point are forced into crouching while holding it.
Bug:This only works for NPCs that crouch as part of their natural AI, such as Alyx and Combine Soldiers.
- Urgent (urgent) <boolean>
- If set, NPCs will consider movement to this rally point as Urgent Navigation (ignoring
prop_physics
blockers, eventually teleporting).
Base:
- Parent
(parentname)
<targetname> - Maintain the same initial offset to this entity. An attachment point can also be used if separated by a comma at the end. (
parentname [targetname],[attachment]
)Tip:Entities transition to the next map with their parentsTip:phys_constraint
can be used as a workaround if parenting fails.
- Origin (X Y Z)
(origin)
<coordinates> - The position of this entity's center in the world. Rotating entities typically rotate around their origin.Note:Hammer does not move the entities accordingly only in the editor.
- Pitch Yaw Roll (X Y Z)
(angles)
<angle> - This entity's orientation in the world. Pitch is rotation around the Y axis, yaw is the rotation around the Z axis, roll is the rotation around the X axis.Note:This works on brush entities, although Hammer doesn't show the new angles.
- Classname
(classname)
<string> !FGD - Determines the characteristics of the entity before it spawns. Tip:Changing this on runtime still has use, like making matching an entry in S_PreserveEnts will persist the entity on new rounds!
- Flags
(spawnflags)
<integer> !FGD - Toggles exclusive features of an entity, its specific number is determined by the combination of flags added.
- Effects
(effects)
<integer> !FGD - Combination of effect flags to use.
- Entity Scripts
(vscripts)
<scriptlist> (in all games since ) (also in ) - Space delimited list of VScript files (without file extension) that are executed after all entities have spawned. The scripts are all executed in the same script scope, later ones overwriting any identical variables and functions. Scripts executed on the worldspawn entity will be placed in root scope.
- Think function
(thinkfunction)
<string> (in all games since ) (also in ) - Name of the function within this entity's script that'll be called automatically every 100 milliseconds, or a user-defined interval if the function returns a number. Avoid expensive operations in this function, as it may cause performance problems.
- Lag Compensation
(LagCompensate)
<boolean> (in all games since ) !FGD - Set to Yes to lag compensate this entity. Should be used very sparingly!
- Is Automatic-Aim Target
(is_autoaim_target)
<boolean> (in all games since ) !FGD - If set to 1, this entity will slow down aiming movement for consoles and joystick controllers when the entity is under the crosshairs.
Inputs
SetClearOnContact
<boolean>- Sets the Clear on Contact with enemies keyvalue. Accepts
1
/0
orYes
/No
as parameters.
SetAllowDiversion
<boolean>- Sets the Allow Diversion keyvalue. Accepts
1
/0
orYes
/No
as parameters.
SetForceClear
<boolean>- Set the Force Clear flag. NPCs who are currently running to the assault point will clear it immediately. NPCs who acquire it in the future will clear it automatically.
Base:
AddContext
<string>- Adds to the entity's list of response contexts. See Context.
AddOutput
<string>- Assigns a new keyvalue/output on this entity. For keyvalues, some rely on extra necessary code to be ran and won't work if its simply just changed through this input. There is a strict format that must be followed:
// Format of changing KeyValues: "AddOutput [key] [value]"
//// Raw text:
"OnUser1" "!self,AddOutput,targetname new_name"
// Format of adding an Output: "AddOutput {targetname}:{inputname}:{parameter}:{delay}:{max times to fire, -1 means infinite}"
//// Raw text:
"OnUser1" "!self,AddOutput,OnUser1:SetParent:!activator:0.0:-1"
// Arguments can be left blank, but the empty blank should still be contained.
//// Raw text:
"OnUser1" "!self,AddOutput,OnUser1:ClearParent::0.0:-1"
|
ClearContext
- Removes all contexts from this entity's list.
ClearParent
- Removes this entity from the the movement hierarchy, leaving it free to move independently.
FireUser1
toFireUser4
- Fires the respective
OnUser
outputs; see User Inputs and Outputs.
Kill
- Removes this entity and any entities parented to it from the world.
KillHierarchy
- Functions the same as
Kill
, although this entity and any entities parented to it are killed on the same frame, being marginally faster thanKill
input.
RemoveContext
<string>- Remove a context from this entity's list. The name should match the key of an existing context.
SetParent
<string>- Move with this entity. See Entity Hierarchy (parenting).
SetParentAttachment
<string>- Change this entity to attach to a specific attachment point on its parent. The entity will teleport so that the position of its root bone matches that of the attachment. Entities must be parented before being sent this input.
SetParentAttachmentMaintainOffset
<string>- As above, but without teleporting. The entity retains its position relative to the attachment at the time of the input being received.
DispatchResponse
<string> !FGD- Dispatches a response to the entity. See Response and Concept.
DispatchEffect
<string> (removed since ) !FGD- Dispatches a special effect from the entity's origin; See also List of Client Effects. Replaced by the particle system since .
RunScriptFile
<script> (in all games since ) (also in )- Execute a VScript file from disk, without file extension. The script contents are merged with the script scope of the receiving entity.
RunScriptCode
<string> (in all games since ) (also in )- Execute a string of VScript source code in the scope of the entity receiving the input. String quotation may be needed when fired via console. Bug:In Hammer, using string arguments will corrupt the VMF file's structure, making the file unviewable for the next Hammer session.Fix:Remove the string argument manually with a text editor.
CallScriptFunction
<string> (in all games since ) (also in ) !FGD- Calls a VScript function defined in the scope of the receiving entity.
TerminateScriptScope
(only in ) !FGD- Destroys the script scope of the receving entity.
SetLocalOrigin
<coordinates> (in all games since ) !FGD- Send this entity to a spot in the map. If the entity is parented to something, it will be offset from the parent by this amount.
Outputs
OnArrival
- Fires when a NPC arrives.
Note:This can fire more than once since NPCs tend to divert from assault points to reload or avoid danger.
OnAssaultClear
- Fires when the point is cleared (arriving and clearing can happen at completely different times).
Base:
OnUser1
toOnUser4
- These outputs each fire in response to the firing of the like-numbered
FireUser1
toFireUser4
Input; see User Inputs and Outputs.